I hate it when announcers do that crap.
"If you take away the ____ , then it's a different ball game."
That is so stupid ... and they do it in every sport.
"If you take away the 2nd Quarter of Super Bowl 22, then the Denver Broncos would have beaten the Washington Redskins 10-7." ...
... NO!!!!!!!!! Because Washington's 2nd half strategy would have been completely different, if they hadn't scored 35 points in the 2nd Quarter! Just like our approach to the next 7 innings would have been different. Any announcer who uses that logic, immediately reveals himself to be a book nerd, who doesn't truly understand how athletic competitions work.